A few weeks ago, I learned that most of the regular players from the venue that I judge at had decided en masse to attend one of the Realms Open Championship qualifiers in a neighboring state, resulting in a likely empty venue that weekend. So I decided to come along and enter the tournament for fun (since I’ll be part of the judging staff at said ROC event at DragonCon, I can’t really compete in the finals).

I also kinda wanted to prove to myself that I could play this game at a high level after all these years of playing almost entirely for F.U.N., but I didn’t really expect to go 3-1 in the first round to make the finals. Fortunately, I had brought a team anyway:

Saturn Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 202] 102
Cosmic Boy [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 202] 70
Sun Boy [Superman] 79
Jubilee [Wolverine and the X-Men 047b] 33
+ Legion Lost ATA 16
=300 points.

ROUND ONE

I faced Brother Voodoo, Wonder Girl [Teen Titans 008] x 2 and 50-point Enchantress [Justice League].

I got map roll and chose one I brought, the Farm from Battle for Smallville, knowing it was full of hindering terrain and that I would pick Batman Ally with the Legion Lost ATA. That would force Brother Voodoo to base me to Mind Control any of my team and give it an extra layer of protection from being forced to enter the Wonder Girls’ kill zone.

Turning points

I immediately benefited from my opponent’s unfamiliarity with the map and his careless positioning that blocked his line of fire for Telekinesis. That gave me the chance to set up quite safely in a large patch of hindering terrain and he was forced to set up a bit outside my easy range.

I got a break when I rolled 6 with Cosmic Boy, allowing for a Turn 2 Running Shot Pulse Wave of almost his full team by Sun Boy, taking Bro V and Enchantress off their frightening opening Phasing and TK clicks and removing the initial threat of being Mind Controlled into the twin Wonder Girl killbox — especially when Cos was able to TK Sun Boy back to safety.

This forced the other team to close in if it were to have any hope of winning now, which played into my game. Despite losing Jubes, the Legion managed to wear out the enemy for a win.

ROUND TWO

Faced Iron Pharaoh, two Chaos War Scarlet Witches and Brother Voodoo + Heroes for Hire ATA. It was a team I had no answer for, as Pharaoh could hide in a corner behind perpetual Barriers while his Falcon Outwitted and shot me, Stealthy or not.

I tried using Mystics to discourage attacks, but taking 1 damage isn’t a thing when you can deal 5 every shot. It didn’t help when Cosmic Boy was one-shot after being Outwitted then knocked back into a wall with a doubles roll.

I then revised my initial strategy of rushing in as quickly as I could, instead splitting my team to prevent one from being Mind Controlled to hit another. But that didn’t work, either, as the enemy was able to isolate them. I did get a KO of a SWitch, thanks to Sun Boy getting hit to a Willpower + Pulse Wave click, but it was the only points in a futile, losing effort — especially when I forgot Brother Voodoo’s Poison SP and based him with the unarmored Saturn Girl. That left Jubilee utterly outmatched and, in short order, dead.

In retrospect, because my team was not built for speed and there would be no preventing at least one KO from the enemy team, perhaps I should have instead have chosen Suicide Squad with Legion Lost ATA and pushed them all to get as near as possible, trusting in the TA’s healing to keep the remaining members in fighting shape. Probably not enough for a win, but at least I’m not a fish in a barrel being fired at with a shotgun.

Still, despite the crushing loss, this team made it to a Top 8 finish, proving that yes, I can still play this game pretty well despite playing for F.U.N.

Next week: The team that got me to the finals in the first place.